Anuanna: The Karda Jewel - Part I

See through Anne's eyes as she starts her new journey in the magical world of witches, wizards, vampires, werewolves, and more. When Anne discovers a whole new world, she also discovers the joys and sorrows, heartache and love, thrills and misery, a...

Prologue

The décor of the room is a dark red carpet and light brown wallpaper, patterned with dark reddish-brown tree branches and leaves. Designer furniture and ornaments in glass show cabinets, on shelves and tables, fill the room in an immaculate form. Centered in the room just east of a blazing, open, white stone fireplace, sits a burgundy, cushioned, curved settee that nearly makes a complete circle. It can seat a party of a dozen people, a few more at a squeeze. In the middle, sits a round mocha coffee table. Underneath, lies a long rectangular red rug with black and gold patterning.

Even though there is an elegant chandelier hanging in the centre of the room, the only source of light is coming from the fire and the two, long floor lamps with deep red shades on the opposite side of the room in both corners, creating a quaint glow.

Two men are sitting on opposite sides of the settee. The man sitting facing towards the fireplace is wearing a designer dark blue suit and a long-sleeved, crisp white shirt that's been tailored to fit him perfectly. He is aged in his forties or early fifties with slick, combed back, black hair. He is clean-shaven and clearly takes very good care of himself. With perfect posture, it's easy to see his confidence and dominance.

The second man is of similar age, but otherwise quite the opposite. He's slumped over with his arms resting on his knees. He is wearing dirty, raggedy clothes and has an unkempt beard that he has left to grow over the past week or so and his hair looks like it hasn't been brushed in days.

He sits, twiddling with his fingers. 'Is Petri going to be long, Nigel?'

Nigel speaks in a calm yet stern manner, almost as if he is holding back his agitation because his guest has the audacity to be in his home, sitting in his living room on his settee. 'She'll only be a moment.'

They sit in silence until a thin worn-looking woman walks in to join them. Also, in her forties or early fifties, she has wrinkles that make her look older and medium length, light mousey brown and grey hair tied back in a simple ponytail.

As she walks, the trees and leaf patterns on the wallpaper move, as if she brushed into them on her way past. She places a silver tray with three gold patterned white cups of tea on the table.

After she hands her husband his tea, she hands the other to their guest. 'Two sugars and cream.'

'Thank you very much, Petri.'

As the man takes a sip of his tea, he twists his body around and looks up at their fireplace and examines the large wooden gold-framed, oil painted, close view family portrait. It pictures Nigel in a black-tie suit and Petri in a red dress and matching fingernails. They both have proud expressions on their faces. They are standing behind their young angel-faced daughter, both with one hand on each of her shoulders. The young brown-eyed girl who looks to be around the age of eight-years-old is wearing her pecan coloured dress with short bobble sleeves. Her light brown hair styled in short high pigtails. She has a big smile on her face as she holds her dark golden brown and black spotted Ocicat, which looks like a miniature version of a leopard.

The man points to the painting. 'Say, I thought you had a son, too?'

Nigel and Petri look at the painting, their expressions turn to anger and shame which they try to hide but the bitterness slightly slips in Nigel's tone of voice. 'Let's cut the pleasantries, shall we?'

'Right. As I was saying before, my visions, they are hardly wrong, well actually, they aren't ever wrong. It may look like they are at times but it's-'